Month: June 2016

Not all home insurance policies are the same. There are significant differences between the types of policies, the companies that underwrite the policies, and the specific of the insurance coverage offered.

The agents at Lifetime Investments work with clients to help them understand the details of home insurance coverage, before a disaster strikes, because it is too late to change home insurance coverage after a major catastrophe occurs.

Types of Home Insurance

There are eight different types of home insurance policies, which have a category number to make it easy to compare them.

The types are:

HO-0: This is the minimal coverage. It protects the mortgage lender on the property and nothing else. In the case of catastrophic loss of the entire home, it pays off the remaining mortgage balance and the homeowner is left with a destroyed home, with no way to repair it. Lenders use this policy as emergency backup if the homeowner allows the home insurance policy to lapse.

HO-1: This is basic coverage for eleven common risks.

HO-2: This category is called broad because it covers more things than the basic level. However, it only covers the sixteen risks specifically named in the policy and does not cover personal belongings.

HO-3: This category is called special because it covers all kinds of damages, except for things specifically excluded by name in the policy. It covers personal belongings, subject to certain limitations.

HO-4: This is “renter’s” insurance. It does not cover the home, only the personal belongings that make up the home’s contents, and personal liability, subject to certain limitations.

HO-5: This comprehensive coverage covers most risks to the home and its contents, with some named exclusions.

HO-6: This coverage is for condominiums. It covers the personal belonging and the walls, ceilings, and floors of the condominium. The rest of the building structure is covered by the building owner’s policy.

There is no HO-7 category.

HO-8: This is a special policy type for an owner-occupied home that has a replacement value much greater than the actual property value.

Flood risk and earthquake risks are usually separate policies or special riders added to home insurance policies.

The experts at Lifetime Investments help new homeowners get the home insurance they need and existing clients make sure their homeowner’s insurance converge is sufficient.

You will always find my number one focus is client service; the second is the myriad other ways I find to support the Arizona communities in which I live and serve. I made the decision to participate as an Ambassador for the Mesa, Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

Mesa Chamber of Commerce Ambassador

As an Ambassador, I join other members who volunteer their time with the intent to provide a crucial link between the Chamber and its members.

It is not a passive pursuit; we are in the center of business activity for the community.

It is not lacking in fulfillment; we enjoy the rewards of making new contacts, strengthening relationships and accessing a wealth of information and resources.

It is not without responsibility; our task is to retain current members, recruit new members, and assist at events.

For the month of June 2014, I have chosen to support the Restaurants who are currently members of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. While you are out and about, you can stop in at those who are familiar to you, or expand your eating experience by stopping in at one of those – yet unknown to you!

You owe it to yourself to eat out on occasion; make it a place that cares what you eat and how you are served! If you are not a Mesa Chamber of Commerce member… you might want to consider that possibility – we are good folk!

Arizona communities… love ’em and can’t wait to share some recipes to be used for Arizona Block Parties. When searching for some ‘yum’ to go with summer ‘fun’ I happened upon a phrase that spoke to my heart! “It’s time to rock the block and turn a collection of addresses into a close-knit community.” I am sure you will want to say “Thank you” to All Recipes once you have pulled together what you need from its block party basics. Salads, side dishes, deserts and drinks are but a small part of this hidden gem… if you scroll down you will find additional resources for planning summer family fun!

You might even be inspired to turn your block party into a fundraiser, such as the one I found on this site – in support of diabetes! It is actually a PDF download of tips and ideas – in an easy to follow A-Z format.

I know you will also enjoy this little jewel… by Arizona native, Destiny, who is the founder of Just Destiny Mag, an online publication that focuses on home living and lifestyle. Believing her destiny is deeply rooted in her faith and making, creating and sharing beautiful things, Destiny offers recipes, games and decor ideas – tap into them here!

One last resource and I am off for the day… using Evite to make your invitation process simple, quick and easy. Not only does the site offer some pretty amazing technology, there are some pretty creative ideas to:

Choose and create the perfect online invitation

Include gifting, registry and charitable options

Send invitations and easily track RSVPs

Since the focus here is about recipes… how about having a potluck and having guests bring their food – and a recipe – and create a community cookbook you add to on an annual basis!

Commercial insurance has many nuances to cover when you try to step up to the current century and allow your employees to work from home. Whether they telecommute a few days each week or simply need to take work home once in a while, let me help you better understand the insurance needs necessary to keep the work-at-home scenario running smoothly. Use these basic business tips to keep your assets and information safe.

Don’t count on homeowners insurance.

A word to the wise… standard homeowners insurance sets strict limits on the amount of coverage for business-related property; instead, ask about expanding business coverage to include everything from laptops to liability when workers are off-site. Remember, equipment is only one part of the equation; it’s equally important to maintain adequate liability coverage for sensitive data, business use of automobiles and other situations that may impact others.

Ask about discounts.

You may be doing, or would consider implementing some easy measures that open the doors to discounts. Ask me about them! Security measures like encryption, FOB security devices or LoJack computer locks can dramatically reduce the risk of theft or inadvertent data loss when employees work from home. Safe driving records and other commonsense precautions may further reduce the cost of insuring off-site employees.

Provide company sponsored standards.

Did you know that simple little things, such as when you keep control of security measures and expenses by supplying a standardized protocol and software solutions for dealing with security measures as well as hardware-related issues, can reduce your coverage expenses. I can guide you to prevent blurring the lines – inadvertently – by small actions, such as allowing employees to use personal equipment for company business; it’s harder to control the quality of information and may inadvertently lead to security issues down the road. Be prepared to provide full documentation to the insurance company and the tax authorities to justify expenses.